The Pune Rural Police are planning to conduct a forensic gait analysis to counter defense arguments in the ongoing Lohagad Fort murder case. The decision comes after the defense lawyer argued in a Pune court that the suspect captured on CCTV footage wearing a heavy hoodie was not his client, Chetan Chaudhary.
Chetan Chaudhary and his girlfriend, Siya Goyal (20), stand accused of pushing Goyal’s fiancé, Ketan Agarwal, to his death from Lohagad Fort on June 18, subsequently attempting to mask the crime as a tragic accident.
The Suspicious Hoodie & The Defense Clones
Investigators initially zeroed in on Chaudhary after recovering CCTV footage from the fort area on the day of the incident. Despite temperatures soaring to 33°C, a man matching Chaudhary’s description was spotted wearing a thick hoodie and large headphones, trailing 20 to 30 feet behind the engaged couple.
During a hearing at the Vadgaon Court, Chaudhary’s defense attorney explicitly denied that the hooded figure in the footage was his client. To systematically dismantle this defense, police will turn to a specialized bio-behavioral scientific study.
What is Forensic Gait Analysis?
Just like fingerprints or dental records, human walking patterns are distinct. A forensic team will evaluate several key metrics to establish whether Chetan Chaudhary is the man in the video:
| Metric Evaluated | Forensic Focus |
| Kinematics & Stride | The precise distance between consecutive steps and the angle/pressure of foot placement. |
| Biometrics | How the suspect’s height, weight, leg length, and joint structures naturally affect their movement. |
| Postural Inclination | The specific lean of the upper body and limb coordination while walking. |
| Behavioral Pace | Assessing walking speed to determine if deviations match a state of nervousness or haste. |
The Reenactment: To ensure scientific accuracy, police officials confirmed that Chaudhary will be taken back to Lohagad Fort dressed in the exact clothing and headset seen in the video. Experts will map his physical structure and movements against the digital footage.
Timeline of a Premeditated Plot
According to investigators, what was initially reported as a freak accident has uncovered a calculated murder plot:
-
June 14: Siya Goyal allegedly makes an initial, failed attempt to push her fiancé, Ketan, off Lohagad Fort.
-
June 18 (Morning): Ketan leaves his home, picks up Siya from the Kiwale Bridge on the Pune-Mumbai highway, and drives to the fort, unaware Chetan is shadowing them.
-
June 18 (10:45 AM): Siya places a panicked call to Ketan’s mother, claiming he lost his footing and accidentally plunged into a deep gorge.
While local authorities initially logged an accidental death, deep suspicions raised by Ketan’s grieving family prompted a deeper digital dive into Siya and Chetan’s social media platforms, text logs, and regional CCTV systems—ultimately exposing the dynamic between the two suspects. Both remain in custody as forensic teams prepare for the crime scene reconstruction.
